Notes from Maine - 2021/04/03

English Mastiffs are very easy puppies. They play occasionally, but mostly spend their time eating and growing. German Shepherds, on the other hand, are challenging. The last time I had a German Shepherd puppy was more than thirty years ago. I had forgotten how much energy and curiosity they have. They’re smart enough to figure out what you’re asking pretty quickly, and mischievous enough to do the wrong thing anyway, just to see what will happen.

My last Shepherd, Duke, was about as smart as a third grader. You could tell him, “Go upstairs and find your frisbee and I’ll throw it for you outside.” He would be at the back door with a frisbee in his mouth before you could find your shoes. The problem with Duke (if you can call it a problem) was that he needed things to do. A Labrador or a Mastiff might be perfectly happy to sleep the day away. Duke had to find something to capture his interest. 

When I lived down the road from my father, Duke would sometimes help my father with errands while I was at work. 

One time my father said, “Yeah, I see that he’s smart, but he doesn’t seem that much smarter than your other dog.”

I said, “It’s the way he can listen to multiple commands. That’s the difference.”

At that point, I asked Duke to go in the living room and get his frisbee and then go find his ball. I had seen Duke do it before, so I expected him to bring me the frisbee and then go search out the ball and bring that too. My father and I were both surprised when Duke came back carrying his frisbee upside down with the ball on top. I never expected that, and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I would find it hard to believe. 

A few days later, my father said, “I tested your dog. He’s not that smart.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“I always back the truck up to the shed, but today I pulled it in front wise. I told Duke, go outside and get in the truck. I’ll be out in a minute. He came back a few seconds later, so I told him it was okay to let himself out.”

There was a screen door in the shed hallway and Duke knew he wasn’t allowed to open it, even though he knew how. Sometimes if my hands were full, I would give him permission to let himself out.

“Then, I went outside and the damn dog was on the hood of the truck. He doesn’t even know the difference between in and on.”

He was smart, but he also picked up habits easily. Seeing that truck, he tried to jump in like he always did. I guess it didn’t bother him at all that he landed on the hood instead of in the bed. 

My new puppy, Albert, will hopefully be a little more like my Mastiff, Finn. All that intelligence that Duke had came with a requirement for structured activity. You could throw the ball into the water a thousand times in a row and he would still be sitting there, waitng for you to throw it one-thousand-and-one times. He would chase the frisbee until his feet had sores, and that still wouldn’t slow him down. 

I guess time will tell. Albert is strong-willed as a puppy. It will be interesting to watch his personality develop.